Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association attends a news conference in Washington D. C. on Friday.

The New Jersey mayor moving ahead with arming police officers in his township’s schools defended the decision Monday after an avalanche of responses, some of it critical.

Last week, Marlboro, NJ decided to arm security officers in its nine public schools after Newtown, Conn., school massacre. Local police recommended the measure to boost school security and it was approved for a 3-month trial period by the school board, Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik said. The decision made national news and caused an outcry in some quarters. Hornik said he received many critical emails, mostly from people outside the town.